Flying-machine.



H. MITCHELL. FLYING MAOHINE. APPLICATION FILED APR. 7, 19'10.

Patented Mar. 7, 1911 Patented Mar. 7, 1911. a BHEETB-BHEET 2.

INVENTOR Hmry/fiz-Zo/wl/ By ATTORNEYS H. MITCHELL. FLYING MACHINE.APPLICATION FILED APB. 7,1910.

Patented Mar. 7, 191 l.

3 SHEETFBHEET 3.

WITNESSES. INVENTUR (77 I H6727? filo/mil A TTORIVE Y 8 HENRY MITCHELL,OF ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA.

FLYING-MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. *7, 1911.

Application filed April 7, 1910. Serial No. 553,917.

T 0 all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, HENRY MITCHELL, a citizen of the United States, anda resident of St. Paul, in the county of Ramsey and State of Minnesota,have invented a new and Improved Flying-Machine, of which the followingis a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to an improvement; in flying machines, andparticularly to means for automatically maintaining the equilibrium ofthe machine, without the necessity of any physical or mental effort onthe part of the operator.

An object of this invention is to provide a device which will be simplein construc tion, inexpensive to manufacture, light in wei ht andositive and nick in its 0 eration.

A further object of this invention is to provide 'an automaticequilibrium control, for manipulating planes or portions of planesoperated by a pendulum member.

These and further objects, together with the construction andcombination of parts, will be more fully described hereinafter andparticularly set forth in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings formmg apart of thisspecification, in which similar characters of referenceindicate-corresponding parts in all the views, and in which- Figure 1 isa front view in elevation, showing the flying machine in a normal,horizontal position; Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1, showing theflying machine tilted to one side, with the equilibrium planes warped orswung to regain the normal, horizontal position; Fig. 3 is a verticalsection through one form of the controlling mechanism; Fig. 4 is adetail view of the pendulum seat, which may be applied to cit-her formof the device; Fig. 5 is a top plan view of the pendulum-seat as appliedto the form illustrated in Figs. 1, 2 and- 3; Fig. 6 is a detail view inelevation; showing another form of the controlling mechanism; Fig. 7 isa horizontal section. on the line 7- of Fig. 6; and Fig; 8 is a verticalsection disclosing details of the. form shown in Figs. 6 and 7.

Referring more particularly to the separate parts of the device, 1illustrates a suitable frame, on which are provided one or moresupporting planes 2 of any suitable light structure adapted to supportthe flying machine in air. The sides of any or all of thesesupporting-planes. 2 may be extended to form equilibrium-controllingplanes 3 and 3, or these planes may be formed separately and pivoted inany well known manner to the frame 1. For the purpose of manipulatingthe planes 3 and 3- in an automatic manner without the necessity of theoperator exerting any mental or physical effort to control the same,there is provided a pendulum member 4, which, while it may be actuatedsolely by its own weight, preferably is provided with a seat 5, so as tosupport the operator and utilize his weight toobtain thecontrollingforce necessary to manipulate the planes 8 and 3. The memher, 1 ispivotally connected in any well known manner to an intermediate frame 6,which may form part. of the frame 1, and is preferably rigidly connectedto the flying machine, as by means of a pin 7.

Extending from each side of the pendulum member 4, beyond the frame 6,there are V 4, dueto the pitching and tossing of the fly-- ing machinein the direction of its flight, and to very slight side tilting.

For the purpose of correcting the-larger tiltings of the flying machineto one side'or the other by manipulating the planes 3 and 3, therelative movement of the pendulum member 4 with respect to the flyingmachine as a whole, or the frame which represents a part of the flyingmachine, there are provided connections between the pendulum member 4and the planes 3 and 3. These connections may be of any suitable form,andtwo forms are here illustrated. In the form illustrated in Figs. 1 to5, the-bar 9 is arcuate in shape, and formed with rack teeth 10on itsupper surface, which are enis provided a pair of flexible connections13' and 14, which extend over suitable guide pulleys, indicated at 15,to the lower and upper sides of the planes 3 and 3 respectively. Fromthe opposite of the drum 12, there also extends a pair of flexibleconnections 16 and 17, which also extend. over suitable guide pulleys,indicated at 18, to

the upper and lower sides of .the planes 3 and 3', respectively. It willthus be seen that when the flying machine, as a whole, tilts to one sideor the other, the pendulum member or seat 4 will tend-to maintain anormal vertical position, so that there will be a movement of thependulum member and the flying machine which will shift the rack 10 soas to rotate the pinionor gear 11 and the drum 12, thereby tilting upthe plane 3 or 3 on the side of the flying machine which is lowered,tending to raise this side to its normal position on a level with theopposite side, and depress the equilibrium plane 3 0r 3 on the sidewhichhas been abnormally raised, so as to bring it down to a level withthe'opposite side.

In the form illustrated in Figs. 6 to 8, the parts are the same as thosein the form just described, and are indicated by the same characters,with theexception that theme'ans for operating the'flexible connections13, 14, 16 and 17,. from the pendulum member 4, is somewhat different.In this case, the bar 9 is not provided with the rack formed with theteeth 10, but engages the frame 6 as a clamp, for-the same purpose as inthe other form; The flexible connections 13 and 14 in this caseextend'over suitable guide pulleys 19'and 20, through. an opening 21 inthe frame 6, where. they are connectedto the farther side of thependulum member 4 at 22,-asis more cle'arly'illus'tra'ted in'Fig. 7. Theflexible connections 16 and'17 also e'xtend over suitable guide pulleys23 and 24 through the. o ening 21, where they are also connected to t eopposite side of the pendulum' member 4 at 25. It will again be seen inthis case that the relative swinging movement of the frame of theflyingmachine and the pendulum member 4, due to'the abnormal tilting of theflying machine to one side or the other,- will manipulate the planes}and 3 to raise the equilibrium planeon the depressed side, and also theequilibrium planeon the raised side, soas' to counteract each side. of

the effect of the tilting and bring the flying machine to a normalhorizontal position.

The operation of the machine will be' readily understood from the abovedescription.

While I have shown two embodiments of my invention, I do not wish to belimited to the specific .details,thereof, but desire to be protected invarious changes, modifications and alterati ns which I may make Withinthe scope o i the appended claims.

Having" thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire .tosecure by Letters Patent 1; In a flying machine, the combination with aframe, of a pendulum member pivotally connected to said frame so as toswing relative to said frame, equilibrium planes pivotally connected toeach side of said frame, a drum rotatably mounted on said frame,flexible connections leading from the top of one of said equilibriumlanes and the bottom of another of said equilibrium planes, on one sideof said drum, flexible connections leading from the bottom of said.

first-mentioned equilibrium plane and the top of said second-mentionedequilibrium plane, on the other side of said drum, a gear operativelyconnected to said drum, and a rack-bar operativel 'connected'to saidpendulum member an engaging said gear;

2. The combination with a frame, of an auxiliary upright frame on saidfirst-men tioned frame, a pendulum member pivotally connected to saidauxiliary frame and adapt.-

ed to swing on one side thereof, an'arcuate rack barsecured to saidpendulum member I in spaced relation therefrom and adapted to i v "swing-on the other sideof said auxiliary frame so as to guide and control themotion of said pendulum -member, a gear opera tively engaging said rack,one or more equilibrium planes, on said frame, anoperating member forsaid equilibrium planes operatively connected 'to said. ar, andoperative connections between sald member and said equilibrium planes. i

1 j 3. The combination with a frame, of an equilibrium plane pivotallyconnected to last-mentioned said frame, an auxiliary frame on saidfirst-mentioned frame, a drum 'rotatably mounted onsaidauxiliary frame,

flexible connectionsb'etw'een. the top sides.

of said equilibrium plane-and the opposite sides of said drum,.flexibleconnections between the bqttomsides of said equilibrium planeand the oposite sides of said drum; -a pendulum mem erpivotally connected to saidauxiliary frame and adapted to swing on one side thereof, an arcuaterack secured to said pendulummem'ber at its e'ndsand spacedv apart fromsaid pendulum member intermedlate'its'ends, so as to form {a slotihrough which said auxiliary frame extends, whereby said pendulum memberis limited to a swinging motion in one plane, and a gear operativelyconnected to said drum and engaging said rack, said pendulum memberequilibrium plane.

is transmitted to said whereby the motion of In testimony whereof I havesigned In l name to this specification in the presence of twosubscribing witnesses. i HENRY MITCHELL. \Vitnesses:

Anmmw G. JOHNSON, i ANDREW J. NEWGREN.

